Morton Barlaz
Distinguished University Professor and Head

- 919-515-7212
- barlaz@ncsu.edu
- Mann Hall 208D
- Visit My Website
Dr. Morton A. Barlaz is Professor and Head of the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at North Carolina State University. He received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Wisconsin.
Dr. Barlaz is the author of over 90 peer-reviewed publications and has made over 200 presentations at conferences throughout the world. In 1992 he was awarded a Presidential Faculty Fellowship from the National Science Foundation.
Dr. Barlaz has been active in service throughout his career. He is an Associate Editor for two journals (Waste Management and Journal of Environmental Engineering) and serves as co-chair of the bi-annual Intercontinental Landfill Research Symposium. He has served as chair of the Government Affairs Committee and the Lectures Committee for the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors. Finally, he serves on the Science Advisory Committee for the International Waste Working Group.
Education
Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of Wisconsin
Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of Wisconsin
Chemical Engineering
University of Michigan
Research Description
Dr. Barlaz has been involved in research on various aspects of solid waste since 1983. Over this time, he has conducted research on biological refuse decomposition, methane production, and the biodegradation of hazardous wastes in landfills. He has participated in two state-of-the-practice reviews of bioreactor landfills. His research forms the basis for much of the work done to assess the impact of landfills on methane emissions inventories. Dr. Barlaz is also recognized for his research on the use of life-cycle analysis to evaluate environmental emissions associated with alternate solid waste management strategies.
Publications
- Abrasion Resistance of Concrete Exposed to Organic Acids
- Park, S., Castellano, L., Barlaz, M. A., & Pour-Ghaz, M. (2020), JOURNAL OF MATERIALS IN CIVIL ENGINEERING, 32(8). https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0003251
- An Assessment of the Dynamic Global Warming Impact Associated with Long-Term Emissions from Landfills
- Wang, Y., Levis, J. W., & Barlaz, M. A. (2020), ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, 54(3), 1304–1313. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b04066
- Exploring alternative solid waste management strategies for achieving policy goals
- Jaunich, M. K., Levis, J. W., DeCarolis, J. F., Barlaz, M. A., & Ranjithan, S. R. (2020), ENGINEERING OPTIMIZATION. https://doi.org/10.1080/0305215X.2020.1759578
- The impact of pressure, moisture and temperature on pyrolysis of municipal solid waste under simulated landfill conditions and relevance to the field data from elevated temperature landfill
- Tupsakhare, S., Moutushi, T., Castaldi, M. J., Barlaz, M. A., Luettich, S., & Benson, C. H. (2020), SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT, 723. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138031
- Approaches to fill data gaps and evaluate process completeness in LCA-perspectives from solid waste management systems
- Henriksen, T., Levis, J. W., Barlaz, M. A., & Damgaard, A. (2019), INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT, 24(9), 1587–1601. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-019-01592-z
- Evaluation of optimal model parameters for prediction of methane generation from selected US landfills
- Sun, W., Wang, X., DeCarolis, J. F., & Barlaz, M. A. (2019), WASTE MANAGEMENT, 91, 120–127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2019.05.004
- Improving understanding of carbon storage in wood in landfills: Evidence from reactor studies
- Ximenes, F. A., Bjordal, C., Kathuria, A., Barlaz, M. A., & Cowie, A. L. (2019), WASTE MANAGEMENT, 85, 341–350. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2019.01.004
- Solid Waste Management Policy Implications on Waste Process Choices and Systemwide Cost and Greenhouse Gas Performance
- Jaunich, M. K., Levis, J. W., DeCarolis, J. F., Barlaz, M. A., & Ranjithan, S. R. (2019), ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, 53(4), 1766–1775. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.8b04589
- Carbon dynamics of paper, engineered wood products and bamboo in landfills: evidence from reactor studies
- Ximenes, F. A., Kathuria, A., Barlaz, M. A., & Cowie, A. L. (2018), CARBON BALANCE AND MANAGEMENT, 13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13021-018-0115-3
- Case study comparison of functional vs. organic stability approaches for assessing threat potential at closed landfills in the USA
- O'Donnell, S. T., Caldwell, M. D., Barlaz, M. A., & Morris, J. W. F. (2018), Waste Management (New York, N.Y.), 75, 415–426. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2018.02.001
Grants
- Development of a Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Systems Analysis Tool (SAT) to Assist in Prioritization of Destruction Research and Management Decisions
- US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)(6/11/20 - 9/30/20)
- High Performance Nonwovens Bags
- US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)(10/01/20 - 5/31/21)
- Anaerobic Decomposition of Cotton Fabric Under Simulated Landfill Conditions
- Cotton, Inc.(1/01/20 - 12/31/21)
- Center for Environmental and Health Effects of PFAS
- National Institutes of Health (NIH)(2/28/20 - 1/31/21)
- Characterization and Quantification of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Landfill Gas and Estimate of Emissions from U.S. Landfills
- US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)(9/01/19 - 8/31/22)
- Development of Test Methods to Characterize Heat Production from Special Wastes Disposed in Landfills
- Environmental Research & Education Foundation(9/01/18 - 9/01/21)
- Development of a Life-Cycle Model for Open Dumps and Informal Waste Collection
- RTI International (aka Research Triangle Institute)(10/14/16 - 9/30/17)
- Development of a Predictive Model to Estimate Emissions from Open Dumps in Emerging Economies
- Procter & Gamble(3/17/15 - 12/31/17)
- Maximizing Energy for Waste While Minimizing Life-Cycle Environmental Burdens and Cost
- US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)(12/09/14 - 11/30/19)
- UNDERSTANDING AND PREDICTING TEMPERATURES IN MUNICIAPL SOLID WASTE LANDFILLS
- Environmental Research & Education Foundation(12/15/14 - 6/30/19)